In the following interview, Rango Le, designated broker at CENTURY 21 WP & Associates in Bellevue, Wash., discusses the advantages of the brand, community involvement, tech and more.
Region Served: Puget Sound
Years in Real Estate: 13
Number of Offices: 3
Number of Agents: 100+/-
Best Time Management Tip: Get top priorities down on paper and execute them first.
Key to Staying Profitable: Get a good CPA who can do taxes, as well as support your business strategy. Plus, hire a solid CFO; they’re worth their weight in gold.
You’ve lived a true rags-to-riches story. How has your background influenced your passion to give back to the community where you work?
I grew up in the public housing projects in Seattle and our family had very limited means. Every year, nice people that I didn’t know gave us (housing kids) awesome Christmas presents. I was so young, but knowing that there were nice people out there who gave unselfishly made a positive difference in my life. Whether it’s remodeling the Everett Gospel Mission Men’s homeless shelter or giving Christmas presents to kids at the same housing project where I grew up, I always give back whenever possible.
You recently affiliated with Century 21 Real Estate from an independent brokerage. What were some advantages to that move?
I’ve been an independent brokerage owner for nine years and went really far with limited resources. By affiliating, I want to accelerate our growth in the coming years, and it made sense to partner with the most recognizable real estate brand in the world. The CENTURY 21® brand provides my agents a distinct advantage when dealing with clients. We also appreciate all the tools, technology and systems the CENTURY 21 System makes available to my agents to help them be more productive and efficient. We thrive on innovation and have a hunger to be great at WP & Associates, and it’s nice to be affiliated with a brand and a global franchisor moving in that same direction.
Are there any specific tools provided by Century 21 Real Estate that will promote greater agent productivity?
The name recognition is really the biggest. When our agents go into listing appointments, our sellers will be very excited about the big brand they recognize that’s representing them. The next is the Zap® back-office CRM. This will keep my agents organized and productive, help them close more deals, and drive more online lead generation. Lastly, there’s CENTURY 21 University®— an online learning platform where my team can access self-paced learning and live classes.
How do you view your role as a real estate professional in terms of making a positive difference in people’s lives?
We’re the servers of the American Dream, giving families hope and wealth for generations to come when they buy or sell a home from us. We should take pride in helping other families while earning an honest living for our own families.
For more information, please visit www.century21.com.
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